DORAL, Fla. — Phil Mickelson is promising another exodus of golfers, including members of the PGA Tour, joining LIV Golf.
Mickelson said he has been “fielding calls” from players around the world inquiring about joining the Saudi-backed league. LIV is holding its season-ending team championship this week at Trump National Doral, the last of its 14 events in the league’s second year.
“Do I think that? No, I know that’s going to happen,” Mickelson said Wednesday when asked if he expects another movement of players. “When players look at LIV, they want to be a part of it. Everybody here is happy and enjoying what they’re doing and enjoying the team aspect of it. Enjoying each other and the camaraderie, and enjoying bringing golf globally and all that comes with playing this tour.
“So there’s a lot of players that see that and want to be a part of it. The question is how many spots are available? There’s a lot more players that want to come than have spots.”
Mickelson’s promise, though, is not unlike what was being said a year ago when there was talk of LIV adding more PGA Tour players following its inaugural season. But that fizzled with its biggest additions during the offseason being Thomas Pieters, Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz and Brendan Steele.
LIV CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said six months ago “there is a massive interest” of players wanting to join LIV.
Names like Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young, Jon Rahm and Adam Scott were rumored to be interested in LIV a year ago. All remained on the PGA Tour.
And that pool of players likely has been further reduced with TGL, the virtual golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, building its roster. Wyndham Clark, another PGA Tour star rumored to have interest in LIV, and Cantlay are the latest to join TGL.
Movement, though, is expected with four players being relegated and 20 others in a vulnerable spot. The final four players in the points standings — Chase Koepka, Jed Morgan, James Piot, and Sihwan Kim — will be relegated and must play their way back into the league via a promotions event, leaving four immediate openings. Also, those who finished 25-44 enter a transfer market and are not assured of returning to their 2023 teams.
Piot is a member of Mickelson’s HyFlyers. Mickelson said Wednesday that even if Piot plays his way back into LIV there would not be a spot available for him to return to his team.
“The reality is I’ve been fielding calls, as we all have, from players that are free agents to PGA Tour players to DP World Tour players that want to come over and the spots probably going to be filled by the time the qualifying tournament is here,” Mickelson said.
The other wild card is the uncertainty with the framework agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV’s backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The agreement cited a Dec. 31 deadline for the sides, including the DP World Tour, to finalize the deal that is expected to merge their golf-related assets. But according to a Bloomberg News report, that deadline could be extended because of the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the agreement.
Mickelson was asked if he believes the two tours possibly uniting would prevent PGA Tour players from joining LIV.
“I think the merger talks allow for it,” Mickelson said. “I think it kind of opens the door for it, yeah.”
This week’s three-day team championship on the Blue Monster features match play Friday and Saturday and stroke play on Sunday with all 12 teams competing to determine the team champion.
The pairing for Friday’s four quarterfinal events is Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger vs. Kevin Na’s Iron Heats, Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs vs. Henrik Stenson’s Majesticks, Cameron Smith’s Ripper vs. Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks and Brooks Koepka’s Smash vs. Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers.
The top four teams — Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC, Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats — receive a bye into Saturday’s semifinals.
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